A housing for a front-loading washing machine is described, for example, in EP 1 424 429 A1. This housing has hook-shaped supporting elements provided in the lower front portion thereof for supporting and fixing the front wall. In order to improve attachment to the lower cross brace, projections are disposed between two neighboring supporting elements. When the front wall is in a fixed position, said projections rest against an inwardly directed flange of the front wall and press the lower edge of the front wall more firmly against the supporting elements.
German Patent Application DE 28 40 939 A1 describes a housing having load-bearing members in the form of a bottom plate and two opposite side walls. The front wall is placed with its lower edge on supporting elements and positioned against the front edges of the side walls. In the upper portion, the front wall is attached at the lateral edges to the front edges of the side walls by means of brackets. The supporting elements are mounted on the bottom member. They extend in a forward direction and have an upwardly pointing pin. The front wall is provided with openings at its lower flange, said openings corresponding to the pins and allowing the front wall to be positioned and fixed in the lower portion.
It is described in International Patent Application WO 2004/011711 A1 to provide the front wall of a housing with pins which project into openings in the lateral load-bearing members. These pins are dimensioned such that the front wall is positioned against the front edges of the load-bearing members, so that the pins project into the openings. At the bottom side, the pins are each provided with a slot into which the edge of the opening projects when the front wall drops slightly down to the end position.
For larger appliance doors or housings, the stability of attachment turns out to be insufficient. Due to the low stability, an open appliance door may vibrate or may deform the front wall in the hinge region. Another effect is that audible vibrations may occur during operation of the laundry appliance, said vibrations being produced in regions where the front wall abuts the front edges of the side walls without being attached thereto.
European Patent Application EP 0 588 100 A1 describes a housing having a reinforced front section. At the front, a reinforcing plate is mounted between the bottom member and lateral strips, the door or the door hinge being attached to said reinforcing plate. In the area of the door, the front wall has an opening which has a larger diameter than the outer ring of the door. The front wall is positioned against the reinforcing plate, the door protruding through the opening. The front wall is screwed to the reinforcing plate using an additional ring which closes the gap between the door and the edge of the opening in the front wall. Such a construction is quite expensive because of the additional large reinforcing plate and the mounting ring. Moreover, additional measures have to be taken to prevent the side walls from vibrating at the front.